Why does hair start growing in gray when you get older?

Each hair on our heads is made up of two parts:

•a shaft – the colored part we see growing out of our heads
•a root – the bottom part, which keeps the hair anchored under the scalp
The root of every strand of hair is surrounded by a tube of tissue under the skin that is called the hair follicle (say: fah-lih-kul). Each hair follicle contains a certain number of pigment cells. These pigment cells continuously produce a chemical called melanin (say: meh-luh-nin) that gives the growing shaft of hair its color of brown, blonde, red, and anything in between.

Melanin is the same stuff that makes our skin’s color fair or darker. It also helps determine whether a person will burn or tan in the sun. The dark or light color of someone’s hair depends on how much melanin each hair contains.

As we get older, the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die. When there are fewer pigment cells in a hair follicle, that strand of hair will no longer contain as much melanin and will become a more transparent color – like gray, silver, or white – as it grows. As people continue to get older, fewer pigment cells will be around to produce melanin. Eventually, the hair will look completely gray.

People can get gray hair at any age. Some people go gray at a young age – as early as when they are in high school or college – whereas others may be in their 30s or 40s before they see that first gray hair. How early we get gray hair is determined by our genes. This means that most of us will start having gray hairs around the same age that our parents or grandparents first did.

Gray hair is more noticeable in people with darker hair because it stands out, but people with naturally lighter hair are just as likely to go gray. From the time a person notices a few gray hairs, it may take more than 10 years for all of that person’s hair to turn gray.

Some people think that a big shock or trauma can turn a person’s hair white or gray overnight, but scientists don’t really believe that this happens. Just in case, try not to freak out your parents too much. You don’t want to be blamed for any of their gray hairs!

Each hair on our heads is made up of two parts:

a shaft – the colored part we see growing out of our heads
a root – the bottom part, which keeps the hair anchored under the scalp
The root of every strand of hair is surrounded by a tube of tissue under the skin that is called the hair follicle (say: fah-lih-kul). Each hair follicle contains a certain number of pigment cells. These pigment cells continuously produce a chemical called melanin (say: meh-luh-nin) that gives the growing shaft of hair its color of brown, blonde, red, and anything in between.

Melanin is the same stuff that makes our skin’s color fair or darker. It also helps determine whether a person will burn or tan in the sun. The dark or light color of someone’s hair depends on how much melanin each hair contains.

As we get older, the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die. When there are fewer pigment cells in a hair follicle, that strand of hair will no longer contain as much melanin and will become a more transparent color – like gray, silver, or white – as it grows. As people continue to get older, fewer pigment cells will be around to produce melanin. Eventually, the hair will look completely gray.

People can get gray hair at any age. Some people go gray at a young age – as early as when they are in high school or college – whereas others may be in their 30s or 40s before they see that first gray hair. How early we get gray hair is determined by our genes. This means that most of us will start having gray hairs around the same age that our parents or grandparents first did.

Gray hair is more noticeable in people with darker hair because it stands out, but people with naturally lighter hair are just as likely to go gray. From the time a person notices a few gray hairs, it may take more than 10 years for all of that person’s hair to turn gray.

Very interesting that the same exact answer came from two people. It’s a good answer but I would like to see an attribution to the source. (I can’t help it – I’m a librarian.)

@sakura But my mom’s hair was brown.. a lot of it has turned silver, but a lot of it also became darker. Can you come up with a reason for that?

Each hair on our heads is made up of two parts:

a shaft – the colored part we see growing out of our heads
a root – the bottom part, which keeps the hair anchored under the scalp
…....................................................................

@rebbel Is your head in the gutter?

‘We’re all in the gutter, but some of us are facing the stars’

I am not a librarian but I, also, would like to see attribution. Not nice to pass off info as one’s own, particularly next to each other. See @nikipedia’s post about plagiarism.

My own experience is that you can get white hair in childhood. I was 10.
Now these many years later, in my mind my hair is still rich brown with gold and red highlights.
In the mirror it is sparkling and shimmering…
white.

@gailcalled Too bad, you would have graced the profession well.

@janbb:Say “goodnight,” Gracie.

Not tonight, Josephine.

I am also annoyed when people take credit for what is not theirs. In the interests of not getting modded, I will not rant about my feelings on the matter. However, I will provide a link to the source they used.

I had an intern who was complementing me on how even my gray hair was coming in. “Not all splotchy like some other old guys” BOY what a way to twist the knife!

@janbb :Well then, Good-night, Irene.

@sakura…. I never knew all of that. That is so interesting. Thanks. I guess you learn somthing new every day. :)

@slick44: Don’t thank either @sakura or @Thesexier; They copied and pasted from here.

Research done by @bobbinhood.

@gailcalled… oh ok.lol in any case i find it interesting. I must say i totally agree with @bobbinhood it happend to me last night. I was called names for my answer. and i was removed. I thought that this is a ques. and answer. So am i not intitled to my answer without being cursed.

@slick44: It is a Q & A site, , but there are guidelines.You are entitled to whatever you want to say; it might be modded, of course.

Of all people, Milo got modded the other night. Can you believe it?

@gailcalled Ya i believe it, I was removed because somoene attacked ME for my answer that had nothing to do with this person.I guess your not allowed to stand up for yourself. Whatever.

@sllick44: Watch your typos, for starters. MIlo got pretty huffy too.

@gailcalled .. I will, thank you.

I’m sorry if I offended anybody, please note my link did not say I wrote the answer!!
Someone asked a question I had a spare 2 mins before I walked my dog and so I cut and pasted what I found… jeesh! I only wanted to help!!!

@slick44 I wasn’t saying anything about moderation, so I’m not sure what you’re agreeing with. I actually appreciate most of the moderation on this site, because it greatly increases the quality of discussion. This time, I was in the mood to say things that would unquestionably get removed (and rightfully so), so I refrained in the interests of not losing that link in the process.

@sakura The thing about plagiarism is you aren’t required to tell people every time you’re the one that writes something. It is automatically assumed that you wrote it unless you attribute it to a source. Thus, in failing to cite your source, you are effectively stealing someone else’s expertise and claiming that it is your own.

I repeat it was not intentional and as I have commented it was a spare 2 mins of a job, this is a first “offenence” and feel a bit hard done to, I would have thought the way the answer was written it was obvious it was from a web site any way! I will bare all that has been said in mind the next time I answer a question, but once again I was only trying to help… jeesh!

@bobbinhood… i was simply on the side of the fact that it was your research, that others took credit for. No harm, no foul. :)

@andreaxjean I’m no expert and have never claimed to be but in answer to your second question… could it be that the melanin was uneven on the head and therefore it produced more in one place and less in another? You know like when you get long hairs sprouting in places whereas in other places you start to lose it?